Having done data processing for thousands of drone survey projects, we have learned the hard way why photogrammetry is a PhD-level science.

One of the most critical factors in ensuring a profitable and accurate drone survey is ground control.

It takes a lot of skill to get survey-grade accuracy using a drone. Ensuring accuracy also requires using ASPRS standards for measuring and verifying the accuracy of the final data.

When using a drone for photogrammetry, one of the most essential data processing steps is to make sure that the orthophoto and 3D model that are produced are accurately georeferenced. There are three main ways to do this.

There is an incredible variety of sensors made for drones and the applications they’re used for.

POB asked Aerotas’ Daniel Katz and Logan Campbell for their thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the different tools that make up an unmanned aerial system. This column is part one of a series on evaluating drone tools and technologies for surveyors.

In critical post-fire surveying, having an effective drone program offers several key benefits: reducing survey turnaround time, providing high-resolution imagery to accompany surveys, and minimizing crew exposure to hazards. All of this leads to reconstruction happening faster, cheaper, and safer.

Making sure that a drone is providing as much benefit as possible is crucial as surveyors nationwide face the critical need to do more work faster to keep up with demand.

The construction and development industries are back, and surveyors nationwide are feeling the effects, good and bad.

Having the knowledge of what it takes to use a tool professionally is often more important for success than the tool itself.